I learned that the toy guitar I used to illustrate noisy toys in the story above had been souped up. It's called bending a circuit. Hackers take toy electronics and alter them to make distinctive sounds. There are musical groups--including one in Madison--that use these devices.

One of the things that hackers may do is drill a hole in the toy and then stick a finger inside to alter the sound. Obviously, this could be trouble if the device is plugged into the wall.

Click here, and you can check out circuit benders--one actually uses his son to alter a guitar's sound.